Hello Larry,
I was born in 1953 and recently tried to apply for spousal benefits and at the same time do a restricted application so that I could defer my own Social Security earnings until age 70. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic I had no choice but to file over the phone and even though I repeatedly made it clear that I was doing a restricted application I am not sure if it was properly done. I am concerned because i recently received a Benefit Verification letter from Social Security and in it there is no mention anywhere of a restricted application. It simply says, "You are entitled to monthly benefits as a dependent of the wage earner". I have also logged into my online SS account and can no longer see my calculated age 70 payment amount and under the "Benefit Type" it simply says, "Spouse".
Should the words "Restricted Application" appear anywhere and based on this information should I be concerned that when I reach age 70, I will have a problem dropping the spousal benefit and start collecting on my own deferred benefit?
Thank You

Hi,

It sounds like you may be confused about what is meant by a restricted application. Almost all Social Security applications are considered as an application for all types of Social Security benefits for which the applicant may be eligible. For example, if you file an application for spousal benefits, that application is normally also considered as an application for your own Social Security retirement benefits. The only way to avoid applying for more than one type of Social Security benefit when you file an application is to restrict the scope of your application to a single type of benefit.

If you're intent is to file for spousal benefits now and defer filing for your own Social Security retirement benefits until age 70, you don't want to apply for your own benefits now. In other words, you want to file an application that's restricted in scope to spousal benefits only. You can't file for your own benefits now, even if you suspend payment of your benefits, and still be able to collect spousal benefits. What you would want to do instead is file just for spousal benefits now, and then file a separate application for your own benefits when you reach age 70.

When you filed for spousal benefits, in order to restrict the scope of your application to just spousal benefits only there needed to be a statement on your application saying that you wanted to restrict your own Social Security retirement benefits from the scope of your application. Examples of such statements can be found in the following section of Social Security's operation manual: https://secure.ssa.gov/apps10/poms.nsf/lnx/0200204020#d2.

I can't say for sure, but it sounds from your description like your application must have been restricted to spousal benefits only. Otherwise, you would now be receiving your own benefits. If you're still concerned, though, you might want to double check with Social Security to make sure that you didn't accidentally apply for your own benefits.

Best, Jerry